CoastersRZ

Well everytime I have tried to ride Funtastic World of Hanna Barbera, it has been closed and Spongebob has been open.

I don`t think the Spongebob thing is completly finished yet. And Face Off was open in the morning, I rode it slightly before ten, thanks to my gold season pass!

I believe that that place is still there. Just head to the Eiffel Tower, turn left and head towards Coney Mall, and it will be on your left right before Bubba Gumps like PKI Diana said.

Actually, the price for Slingshot at 10:30 in the morning was just $5 a person. They are using the old addage of supply and demand. Lower prices when demand is light, but once they get a higher demand, they can charge higher prices. The Funtastic World of Hanna Barbera has not been open any time I`ve been at the park (last Saturday and Sunday and again yesterday). I`m not sure if it is just staffing related or if something else is going on.

No, he did not work in the rides department. He was part of a barber shop quartet that roamed the park. In fact, I seem to recall that the park fired him for something.

I know, but I just find it odd that the park would have waited so long to do this much major work on the ride. They have done patches of retracking each winter since the ride opened. Seems kind of odd to be doing a whole bunch of the ride now. Let`s get back to the topic of 2007 and leave the Son of Beast stuff to the other thread about that ride.

But I find it unlikely that this work would just now be taking place. I would have assumed any settlement would have occured a couple years ago and not just now. Seems a little bit long after the lawsuit was filed. But, it would make sense for the extended amount of downt time and extensive track and structural work that is going on with the ride.

Well, it got some what busy around 1 o`clock. The first couple of hours were empty. I ended up waiting just under 45 minutes for Flight of Fear around 1:30.

Well, I think they understand it, just they have some insane idea why not to do it the common sense way! I wouldn`t be surprised if once the sale of the parks is completed and a new owner takes over if they revert back to opening the gates at 9am and the park at ten. It has been kind of strange to be at the park three times this year, and never once entering via the main gate thanks to my Gold Pass and ACE card!

Yes, I reported in other threads that the two rides opened. Hopfully, they will be getting more horses for the Nick Go Round to improve capacity. It looks rather pathetic with just a single row of horses on the outside. The pineapple was installed yesterday? I didn`t even notice it today then, but I wasn`t exactly looking for it either.

It would be nice to see a live mainstage show return to the Festhuas. I do believe that Paramount Parks in the last couple of years has been putting slightly more effort on live entertainment. While the Nick Parade may not be a show, it is definantely a popular feature at the parks. It is also rather well done (It has won awards from IAAPA), and gets kids of all ages lining up across the park to see it. WinterFest, is a sign that Paramount Parks has put some effort into live entertainment. From the White Christmas Express, to Scrooge`s house, to roaming characters, the parade and Santa`s toy factory. WinterFest is more about entertainment and atmosphere than rides. I think for the most part WinterFest`s entertainment was rather remarkable coming from PKI. Yes, there were things about the entertainment portion that could be improved apon. And there were other things about the event that they could improve upon for this year`s event. But all in all, the live entertainment is what WinterFest is mostly about.

Well, it was designed by Werner Stengel. The Roller Coaster Corporation of America was responsible for some things, including the initial building. But apparantly PKI did not like how things were going (the portion of structure toppling over after a guest of wind snapped a temporary brace) and took over construction. I don`t ever recall what the outcome of the lawsuit was. But I highly doubt that any money from the lawsuit is funding this retracking effort.

They have the same old Eurobungee on the old Flight Commander spot. Yes, that spot would make an ideal spot for a new ride (the Flying Eagles would have been nice there, or even as you mentioned Delirium). That side of the midway is dead in through there, and the Action FX Theater is a far walk from The Vortex line. If any area is to get an expansion in 2007, I think it would be CM. Every other area has seen some sort of new attraction in the last five years (less Octoberfest of course).

Actually, Skylab, Zephyr and the new Dodgems were installed for the park`s 14th year (1986). Vortex was installed in 1987 the park`s 15th anniversary. Yes, a few "intermediate" rides would do well in CM. A couple good spots for some flat rides would be the old Flight Commander spot. Also, the grassy area between The Racer, Adventure Express and Flight of Fear (with access off the Flight of Fear midway) could be a good location for a ride, and make the walk down to Flight of Fear more worth while, especially if the new ride would allow kids that were too short for FoF.

Yes, both Face Off and Delirium were up today. Thanks to my Gold Pass, I avoided the absurdly long lines of people waiting for the metal detectors to open and was able to go through the gold pass early ride time metal detectors on the side. I got a ride on Face Off before the park opened at ten. They need to reconsider the opening the gates at ten or even ten minutes before hand. The park was not crowded at 9:45 when I arrived this morning, but the entry plaza was a mess. The lines stretched all the way back past the flag poles and back to the picni umbrellas outside the season pass booths! Delirium did not open right at ten, but I had seen it testing while waiting to board Face Off. So after a quick ride on Top Gun and Drop Zone, it had opened. Delirium is running making four full height swings. It still seems to take a while to "center" the gondola so that the floor will raise. Also of note in Nuck Universe. Blue`s Skidoo and La Aventura De Azul were both open, sporting brand new cars from their previous incarnations in HBL. Some general work continued from the last week, like some theming elements added to the Nick Go Round and other areas. Also, the framework for a canopy to shade the Avatar loading and exit area has appeared.

No real big surprise there. I believe that they were working on it today. I saw a bunch of pick up trucks parked over by where the old parking lot trams reside when I rode Drop Zone today. Hopefully, all the work on it will make it a more enjoyable ride!

Ok. A couple things here. First, why would PKI not add anything just because they added NU this year and IJST last year? The park clearly has stuff to work on/needs. Coney Mall could use a major new attraction in it and some sprucing up. Other than IJST which is almost in Rivertown, the last addition in CM was Flight of Fear ten years ago. Secondly, I think the park is working on plans for next year. They will have a capital expenditures budget next year, new buyer or not. Not to mention that whoever is buying the parks is most likely entering final negotiations/bids right about now. Just because the parks are for sale does not mean that they will not have a capital expenditure budget.

Well, I think the fact that it will be the park`s 35th anniversary has little to do with what they install. Look at the park`s 25th anniversary when they increased the size of WaterWorks and added the wavepool. I think they will definantely add a ride. I don`t necessarily think it will be the biggest thing they have ever added, but a ride nonetheless. And I think whoever buys Paramount Parks will likely buy the licensing agreement to use Paramoount and Viacom theming. One would be stupid to not want the Nickelodeon franchise (unless CBS wants an absurd amount for it).

Well, technically late spring can be any where up until June 20th when Summer officially starts. I had heard that the park was hoping to have it ready to roll by Memorial day weekend, but that was the optimistic goal and that it could be later.

Wouldn`t expect anything new?? Come on. The park is most likely planning something. Will the sale affect it? It could. Look at what happened to Thunder Road, which turned into Top Gun once Paramount bought the parks in `92. As far as not adding anything. The park has only not added anything back in 1978, and that was because they were working on The Beast. In 1983 they did not add any new rides, but added the Festhaus.

Well, I do believe that those big old bees are carpenter bees and not yellowjackets. Every spring, the park has a problem with those type of bees. Always by the trees near Bubba Gumps and Adventure Express, and over by The Beast. There must be hives somewhere over in that area, or something attracts them there. Because once all the spring flowers on the trees dissapear, the bees tend to vanich as well.

I don`t think it is as much lack of quality as it is lack of shows. Both School of Rock and Santa`s Toy Factory were top notch shows. The only problem was that School of Rock was really only the major show in the park last summer besides Tuned IN in the International Showplace. And how would your reliable source know that shows will make a comeback after the parks change hands? As far as we know, CBS hasn`t solidified plans with any potential buyers for Paramount Parks. That being said, no one (except maybe upper level management) has any clue how the acquisition will affect the day to day operations of the park.

Update on the status of Nick Universe. Both Blue`s Skidoo and La Aventura de Azul were open today. Blue`s Skidoo features blue and pink cars that look like Blue and ... (I don`t know of a pink dog on that show as I have never watched it). Also, La Aventura de Azul had TWO and only two trains so far running. They ARE NOT the same train cars that they had on the ride in years past but all new cars. The Nick Go Round still only has horses on the outside row (hopefully they will be adding horses to the inside row as well, otherwise they reduced that rides capacity in half). They add some Nick characters above the rounding boards, but it appeared as if they were not finished adding them.

No! Flight of Fear at both PKI and PKD`s SBNO FoF were designed and manufactured by Premier Rides of Maryland, not Vekoma International. Therefore, it is NOT the same ride that was designed by Vekoma for Rock `N` Roller Coaster at Disney MGM Studios. Premier also designed the trains and restraints on Son of Beast. The restraints they then applied to Flight of Fear five years ago replacing the over the shoulder restraints and turning the once headbanging ride into a truly great ride.

I haven`t heard anything on when Blue`s Skidoo, Spongebob`s Bikin Bottom Bash or La Aventura de Azul will be opening. Yes, Bikini Bottom wasn`t quite finished this past weekend. That one may not open until closer to full season (when daily operation begins in mid May).